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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Heterogeneous Removal of Water-Soluble Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalyst from Aqueous Media Via Host-Guest Interaction

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Host-Guest Interactions Enhance Charge Transport across Single Cyclodextrin/Azobenzene Complex Junction.

Song Han¹, Jingjing Zhao², Sumit Naskar^3,4

¹Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|March 12, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Host-guest interactions between alpha-cyclodextrin (α-CD) and azobenzene influence single-molecule conductance. Complex formation enhances conductance, but this effect diminishes over time due to α-CD aggregation.

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Published on: January 19, 2018

Area of Science:

Molecular electronics
Supramolecular chemistry

Background:

Azobenzene's charge transport properties are well-studied.
The impact of host-guest complexation on azobenzene's molecular conductance is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how host-guest interactions between alpha-cyclodextrin (α-CD) and azobenzene affect single-molecule conductance in aqueous solution.
To elucidate the role of molecular structure in modulating these effects.

Main Methods:

Experimental techniques: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy to confirm host-guest complex formation.
Conductance measurements of amine-terminated azobenzene in aqueous solution with and without α-CD.
Comparison with modified molecules: amine-terminated stilbene and thiomethyl-terminated azobenzene.
Computational analysis: First-principles simulations to understand electronic structure changes.

Main Results:

Formation of an α-CD/azobenzene host-guest complex driven by azobenzene's hydrophobicity.
A ~3.5-fold increase in single-molecule conductance for amine-terminated azobenzene upon complexation.
Progressive attenuation of conductance enhancement over time, attributed to α-CD aggregation.
No significant conductance change observed for modified azobenzene or stilbene derivatives.

Conclusions:

Host-guest interactions significantly modulate single-molecule conductance of azobenzene.
The observed conductance enhancement is linked to the formation and stability of the α-CD/azobenzene complex.
Structural modifications influence the sensitivity of molecular conductance to host-guest interactions.
First-principles simulations support the experimental findings regarding electronic structure changes.